Blackjack tournaments with rules encouraging card counting and broadcasts thereof

ABSTRACT

Blackjack tournaments are described which provide for rules and practices that facilitate counting of cards by players, such as dealing from a single deck of 52 cards down to the last card in the deck. The proprietor of the tournament limits its exposure to losses by forming a pool of prize money from entrance fees paid by players, sponsorship fees, a limited contribution to the pool of prize money, or combinations thereof. Players play with chips provided by the proprietor of the tournament. The tournament may be captured with one or more video cameras and broadcast over an entertainment network. The broadcast may feature card counting reports, commentary by experts, and a display of the sequence of cards to be dealt to the players and the dealer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/521,967 filed Sep.14, 2006, now allowed.

FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to the field of card games and moreparticularly to the game of blackjack, tournaments featuring blackjack,and broadcasts of blackjack tournaments.

BACKGROUND

The game of blackjack, also known as twenty-one (“21”), is a popularwager game played with one or more standard decks of playing cards. Therules of blackjack are described in the game literature and will not bedetailed here. The rules also vary slightly depending on the casino orcountry where the game is played. Suffice it to say that, in most formsof the game, the player makes a wager and then receives two cards facedown from a dealer. The dealer receives two cards, one face down and theother face up. The player then elects to either receive one or morecards from the dealer or retains the cards he has, hoping that the sumof the point count for the cards in his hand does not exceed 21. Thedealer follows fixed rules as to whether to sit on its two cards orreceive one or more additional cards. If the player does not “bust” (thesum of the point count of cards in his hand exceeds 21) but the dealerbusts, then the player wins, e.g., an amount equal to the amountwagered. If the player busts, the player loses his wager. If neither theplayer nor the dealer bust, then if the sum of the point count of theplayer's hand is greater than that of the dealer, the player wins. Ifthere is a tie, the player's wager is returned. If the dealer's hand iscloser to 21 than the player, the player loses. Aces can be counted aseither 1 or 11.

In general, the house (dealer) has a slight advantage over the player atblackjack under the rules governing play at all casinos. Therefore,casinos can offer blackjack as wager game in which it may lose money tosome players, but in the long run the casino will make money on theenterprise.

Blackjack's popularity stems, at least in part, from the great mystiqueassociated with systematic ways of playing the game to minimize thehouse advantage. In the early 1960's, a mathematician and universityprofessor, Edward O. Thorp, used a computer to analyze the game ofblackjack and discovered a set of rules for systematically playing thegame of blackjack. Thorp's system takes into account the point value ofcards which are exposed to the player during the course of play. If thegame is played in accordance with rules developed by Thorp, the houseadvantage can not only be negated, but actually turned into an advantagefor the player. Thorp's book “Beat the Dealer”, second edition, VintageBooks (1966), has emerged as a classic text on blackjack and cardcounting. The book includes several accounts of Thorp, and others usinghis system, making large sums of money playing blackjack at casinos.

Card counting techniques, of which there are several explained inThorp's book, essentially are techniques by which the player obtains astrategy for determining whether to receive an additional card or cardsas a result of noting or counting cards from the deck which have beenrevealed to the player as a result of having been dealt to the player,dealt face up to the dealer, or dealt to other players. Depending on thecards that have been revealed, the advantage (i.e., statisticalprobability that a player will beat the dealer using the card countingtechnique) may swing to the dealer, or to the player, sometimes stronglyso. An example of where the player may have a strong advantage is whenthe game is played from a single deck of 52 cards and the cards aredealt down to the last card. Using Thorp's card counting techniques, theplayer can determine when a player has an advantage, or when the dealerhas an advantage. When the advantage is to the player and particularlystrongly so (a situation detectable using Thorp's card countingmethods), the player places a large wager. Conversely, when theadvantage is to the dealer, the player places a small or minimum wager.Over the long term, card counting allows the player to gain astatistical advantage over the dealer. The player will profit from hisplay, provided that Thorp's methods are rigidly adhered to, the playerplaces large or small wagers in accordance with Thorp's rules, and alsoprovided that the rules are not changed during play and the dealer doesnot cheat.

Although card counting adds to blackjack's popularity, because it worksto negate the house edge, casinos, and establishments more generally,have actively discouraged card counting techniques in order to not losemoney by offering blackjack. To minimize the ability for card countersto accurately count, for example, establishments enforce rules that tendto minimize a player's ability to count cards. For example, theestablishments engage in practices such as increase the number of decksof cards that are used in the blackjack card shoe, shuffle the “spent”cards with the cards still left in the shoe regularly or after everyhand, remove certain features of the game such as surrender anddoubling, and even prevent known card counters from entering the givenestablishment or asking them to leave once discovered. It is estimatedthat casinos spend large sums to prevent card counting and to catch cardcounters.

Thus, while the prior art recognizes that card counting can be asuccessful technique for beating the dealer at blackjack, the art alsoteaches that casinos should take steps to prevent card counting in orderto retain the house advantage.

This disclosure presents a distinct departure from the prior art, as itdescribes blackjack tournaments, suitable for offering in a casinoestablishment, in which card counting is not only tolerated but actuallyencouraged. In particular, the tournaments are conducted in accordancewith one or more rules of play that are designed to facilitate countingof cards by card counters, such as dealing from a single deck of 52cards down to the last card. The more proficient a player is at themethods of Professor Thorp, or at newer or even better card countingmethods, the better the player can expect to do at the tournament.Accordingly, tournaments in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure might well be advertised under the banner “Card CountersWelcome!” Conversely, usage of such a banner at a blackjackestablishment today in most circumstances would be virtually unthinkablebecause such establishments intentionally try to frustrate cardcounting.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, a method is described for conducting a blackjacktournament which avoids a risk of large losses to the proprietor of thetournament due to card counting. The method combines blackjack gamerules which are favorable for card counters with high tournament prizemoney in order to encourage card counters to participate in theblackjack tournament.

In particular, the method includes a step of forming a pool of prizemoney for paying out to one or more winners of the tournament. The poolof prize money could be formed from entrance fees paid by one or moreplayers playing in the tournament. The pool of prize money may beaugmented with sponsorship money from sponsors, e.g., hotels, casinos,television networks, car companies or other advertisers, or otherparties. The sponsor of the tournament could also contribute to the poolof prize money.

The method further includes a step of providing a set of rules forplaying rounds of blackjack at the tournament wherein the rules arefavorable to counting of cards by the players. Several examples of suchfavorable rules are disclosed herein.

The method further includes a step of conducting rounds of play ofblackjack using the set of rules wherein during the rounds of play theplayers in the tournament make wagers and receive winnings with chipsprovided by the proprietor of the tournament to the players. Unlikeblackjack played in a casino where the player's winnings are paid by thehouse, the proprietor of the tournament is not exposed to losses due tocard counting by players playing in the tournament, since the reward forwinning the tournament is paid out from the pool of prize money. Thus,card counting by the players playing in the tournament may be encouragedsince the proprietor of the tournament is not at risk.

The set of rules in place during the tournament are favorable to cardcounting. Such rules may include playing blackjack at each of the tablesused in the tournament using a single deck of 52 cards and dealing thecards from the deck down to the last card in the deck. Alternatively oradditionally, the set of rules may include a rule of exposing all thecards of the players at each table to all the players at the table aftereach hand of play. As another example, the set of rules may include arule of exposing the cards of players who bust during play.

Blackjack tournaments in accordance with the methods of this inventionare ideally suitable for broadcasting on television or otherentertainment networks (e.g., the Internet or cable TV networks) asentertainment for card players, thereby popularizing the tournament,attracting more players to casinos to play blackjack, and encouragingcard counters to participate in future tournaments. Thus, the method mayfurther include the step of broadcasting the play of the tournament overan entertainment network. Such broadcasts may optionally includefeatures to provide the viewers with an “inside” look at the game,including identifying the sequence of cards yet to be dealt to playersand the dealer during play and including the sequence in thebroadcasting of the play, and providing a card counting report in thebroadcast of the play. The current card counting report can take avariety of forms, such as showing the distribution of the remainingcards in the deck, a + or − score or index using the high/low indexsystem explained in Chapter 7 of Thorp's book; the current ratio of tensto others as explained in Chapter 8 of Thorp's book, a table showing theideal strategy given the current status of cards previously revealed, orotherwise. As a further feature, the broadcasting of the tournament maybe accompanied by play commentary by one or more experts in the game ofblackjack.

In another aspect of this disclosure, the invention can be considered asa novel arrangement of blackjack tournament apparatus comprising, incombination, a facility hosting a tournament of blackjack, the facilityincluding one or more tables where blackjack may be played; one or morevideo cameras for capturing play at least one of the one or more tablesfor broadcast to an audience remote from the facility; wherein thetournament is characterized in that a pool of prize money is formed forpaying out to one or more winners of the tournament, e.g., at least inpart from entrance fees paid by one or more players playing in thetournament or from sponsors; a set of rules is provided for play at thetournament for playing rounds of blackjack at the tournament wherein therules include one or more rules favorable to counting of cards in asystematic method for playing blackjack; and wherein rounds of play ofblackjack are conducted at the tables using the set of rules whereinduring the rounds of play the players make wagers and receive winningswith chips provided by the proprietor of the tournament to the players,whereby the proprietor of the tournament is not exposed to losses due tocard counting by players playing in the tournament and card counting bythe players may be encouraged.

The blackjack tournament broadcast may optionally include anidentification of the sequence of the cards remaining in a deck of cardsused at one of the tables; and/or a card counting report, and/orcommentary by one or more experts in the game of blackjack.

The blackjack tournament apparatus may further include a card sequenceidentifying apparatus for determining the sequence of cards to be dealtby a dealer to players at one of the tables. The apparatus may takeseveral forms as described herein, including a machine readable codeapplied to the cards to be dealt by a dealer and a reader for the code.When the sequence of cards is known using the apparatus, the broadcastmay include presentation of the card sequence to the viewers of thebroadcast as an additional entertainment feature.

In still another aspect of this disclosure, television broadcastapparatus is disclosed comprising a machine readable memory storingbroadcast data for transmission over an entertainment network, thebroadcast data comprising data representing video of play at a blackjacktournament, a card counting report reflecting the state of a deck ofcards to be dealt to players at the table in the tournament, andcommentary by experts.

These and still other aspects and features of the present disclosurewill be explained in the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following discussion reference will be made to the drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a blackjack table for use in the blackjacktournaments of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a first example of a card counting reportwhich may be provided in a television or other broadcast of thetournament for the benefit of viewers.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of second example of a card counting reportwhich may be provided in a television or broadcast of a tournament forthe benefit of viewers.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a mechanism for identifying the sequence ofun-dealt cards in a shoe.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a marker in the form of a bar code which isread by the mechanism of FIG. 5 in order to determine the sequence ofun-dealt cards in the shoe of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of one possible arrangement of theapparatus used in generating a broadcast video signal of a tournament asdescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A. Blackjack Tournaments

Multiplayer blackjack tournaments are described herein that are designedto facilitate and encourage players who approach the game in asystematic way and count cards to determine the best strategy for play.Currently, rules and practices for blackjack play at casinos aredesigned to frustrate or discourage card counters, such as rulesincreasing the number of decks of cards that are used in a blackjackcard shoe, early shuffling of cards, i.e., reshuffling the cards while asignificant proportion of the shoe (for example, a third or a half ofthe shoe) still remains unused, removing of certain game features thatmay be favorable to the player such as surrender and doubling features,and preventing known card counters from entering the blackjackestablishment.

The blackjack tournaments of this disclosure preferably combine twofeatuures to attract card counters. Firstly, the tournaments featuresblackjack game rules and practices which are favorable for cardcounters. Such rules may include playing blackjack at each of the tablesused in the tournament using a single deck of 52 cards and dealing thecards from the deck down to the last card in the deck. Alternatively,more than one deck could be used which is dealt down to the last card.Alternatively or additionally, the set of rules may include a rule ofexposing all the cards of the players at each table to all the playersat the table after each hand of play. The idea behind this rule is thatas more cards are revealed, the player will have a greater idea of whichcards remain in the deck and therefore obtain a more preciseunderstanding of the correct play (e.g., whether to stand or whether toreceive another card, or whether to place a large wager or a smallwager). As another example, the set of rules may include a rule ofexposing the cards of players who bust during play, again increasing theexposure of cards and allowing the player to obtain a greater degree ofcertainty as to the correct strategy as to standing, doubling, etc., andwager size. All three of these rules may be combined. Additional rulesfavorable to card counting may be adopted.

A second aspect of the tournament is that the tournament is structuredso that the proprietor of the tournament (the entity awarding prizemoney to the winner) is not exposed to losses as would be expected tooccur if the winnings for every hand were paid directly to the playerfrom the house's bank account. Under the current state of the art, if nocountermeasures are taken expert card counters can and will beat thedealer and will cause any casino to lose money, and potentially largesums of money. To counter this, the tournament proprietor forms a poolof prize money which is high enough in order to encourage card countersto participate in the blackjack tournament, but funds the prize moneypool from some source or sources that limit or negate entirely theexposure to losses. For example, the pool of prize money could be formedfrom entrance fees paid by one or more players playing in thetournament. The pool of prize money could also be supplied by oraugmented with sponsorship money from sponsors, e.g., hotels, casinos,television networks, car companies or other advertisers, or otherparties. The sponsor of the tournament could also contribute to the poolof prize money, and thereby limit their exposure to the amountcontributed to the pool.

The tournament features conducting rounds of play of blackjack using theset of rules favorable to card counting. During the rounds of play theplayers in the tournament make wagers and receive winnings with chipsprovided by the proprietor of the tournament to the players. Forexample, each player could receive some value of chips (say $5000 worthof chips), and the tournament has rules for the minimum and maximumwager amounts. Players are eliminated when they run out of chips ortheir chip total falls below a minimum level. Play continues in rounds,with players being eliminated until a final round of play occurs, andthe player with the most chips after the final round wins thetournament. Variations on this general format are of course possible.However, unlike blackjack played in a casino where the player's winningsare paid by the house, the proprietor of the tournament is not exposedto losses due to card counting (beyond any amount contributed to theprize pool), since the reward for winning the tournament is paid outfrom the pool of prize money. Thus, card counting by the players playingin the tournament may be encouraged since the proprietor of thetournament is essentially not at risk.

A further example of a tournament will now be described. A multiplayerblackjack tournament is provided at a facility such as a casino andfeatures one or more competition blackjack tables. There is a fixedbuy-in amount and an entrance fee which is paid by each contestant. Forexample, if the buy-in amount is $40, and the entrance fee is $4, eachplayer pays $44 to play. If the buy-in amount is $30, say, the entrancefee is $5; the player pays $35 to play.

The buy-in amount from all players in the tournament is pooled to formthe tournament prize money. The tournament prize money may be augmentedby sponsorship money from advertisers or the casino hosting thetournament. The entrance fee amount may be credited the operator of thecasino to cover its costs in hosting the tournament.

Each player is awarded tournament chips at the beginning of thetournament. These chips are used as counters to determine the winner ofthe tournament. A player is eliminated from the tournament when theplayer has lost all his/her tournament chips.

The number of seats at each Blackjack table is three or five, and isconfigured when the tournament is set up. Each player plays against thedealer at the table, but not the house—i.e. payouts only affect aplayer's tournament chip balance. The contestants (players) play at aplurality of the tables simultaneously or in shifts if necessary toaccommodate all the players.

The tournament consists of a number of betting rounds and each roundconsists of a predetermined number of hands. The number of hands for thefirst round is configured when the tournament is set up, the defaultnumber of hands for the first round being 30. The number of hands perround is a variable. For example, in Round 1 the number of hands is 30,and in Round 2 the number of hands may be 40. If the tournament hasmultiple rounds, players start each round with the same number of chipsas the first round.

There is a minimum and maximum bet for each round. The minimum andmaximum bet amounts may be variable per round, or fixed for all roundsof the tournament. The minimum and maximum bets are configured when thetournament is set up. The default minimum bet amount is $50.00 and thedefault maximum bet amount is $1,000.00 ($50.00×20). The minimum andmaximum bet amounts increase per round (configured when the tournamentis set up).

At the end of each round, the player at each table with the lowestnumber of tournament chips is eliminated and all other players proceedto the next round.

At the end of the tournament, the player with the highest number oftournament chips wins the largest share of the prize money. If two ormore players tie, the winner is decided by sudden death.

As noted above, the play in each of the rounds features one or morerules for the game which are favorable to card counters, several ofwhich were described previously. The remainder of the rules may be inaccordance with standard practices, e.g., as set forth in Chapter 2 ofThorp's book. Doubling, splitting pairs, surrender, insurance and otherfeatures and variations of blackjack may optionally be provided.

B. Broadcasting of Tournaments

Blackjack tournaments in accordance with the methods of this inventionare well suited for broadcasting on television or other entertainmentnetworks (e.g., the Internet or cable TV networks) as entertainment forcard players, thereby popularizing the tournament, attracting moreplayers to casinos to play blackjack, and encouraging card counters toparticipate in future tournaments. Thus, the method may further includethe steps of broadcasting the play of the tournament over anentertainment network.

Such broadcasts may optionally include features to provide the viewersof the broadcast with an “inside” look at the game which is notavailable to the players in the tournament, including providing a visualdisplay of the sequence of cards yet to be dealt to players and thedealer during play, and providing a visual display of a card countingreport in the broadcast of the play. The current card counting reportcan take a variety of forms, such as showing the distribution of theremaining cards in the deck, a + or − score or index using the high/lowindex system explained in Chapter 7 of Thorp's book “Beat the Dealer”,second edition; the current ratio of tens to others as explained inChapter 8 of Thorp's book, a table showing the ideal strategy given thecurrent status of cards previously revealed, or otherwise. As a furtherfeature, the broadcasting of the tournament may be accompanied by playcommentary by one or more experts in the game of blackjack.

In another aspect of this disclosure, the invention can be considered asa novel arrangement of blackjack tournament apparatus. The apparatusincludes a facility such as casino hosting a tournament of blackjack,the facility including one or more tables where blackjack may be played.The apparatus further includes one or more video cameras for capturingplay at at least one of the tables for broadcast to an audience remotefrom the facility. The tournament is characterized in that a pool ofprize money is formed for paying out to one or more winners of thetournament, e.g., at least in part from entrance fees paid by one ormore players playing in the tournament or from sponsors. A set of rulesis provided for play at the tournament for playing rounds of blackjackat the tournament wherein the rules include one or more rules favorableto counting of cards in a systematic method for playing blackjack.Rounds of play of blackjack are conducted at the tables using the set ofrules wherein during the rounds of play the players make wagers andreceive winnings with chips provided by the proprietor of the tournamentto the players. The proprietor of the tournament is not exposed tolosses due to card counting by players playing in the tournament andcard counting by the players may be encouraged.

The blackjack tournament broadcast may optionally include anidentification of the sequence of the cards remaining in a deck of cardsused at one of the tables (either in whole or in part); and a cardcounting report, or commentary by one or more experts in the game ofblackjack.

Turning now to the Figures, FIG. 1 is an illustration of a table 10 thatmay be used for play of blackjack play a tournament of this disclosure.The table 10 includes a dealer position 12, and player positions 14, 16and 18. While three player positions are shown it will be understoodthat the table may accommodate a different number of players, such as 5or more. The dealer deals cards from standard deck of 52 playing cardswhich are housed in a shoe 20. Each player has a pile of chips 22, 24,26 from which to place wagers on hands of play. While the cards 28 areshown face up in FIG. 1, it will be understood that during play eachplayer receives their initial two cards face down and cannot see thecards held by other players. Additional cards, if any, dealt to eachplayer are dealt face up. The dealer's cards are dealt in the usualfashion, one face down and one face up, with additional cards dealt tothe dealer dealt face up.

After each hand of play, players having a winning hand receive winningsin the form of additional chips from those wagered in that round ofhands.

The dealer can be considered as having an infinite bankroll oftournament chips. Thus, at the end of a tournament round, it is quitepossible for each player at a table to end up with a greater number oftournament chips than at the commencement of the round. The increase intournament chips comes from the dealer's bankroll. It is worth notingagain that at the commencement of each round of play all the playershave the same number of tournament chips.

After each hand of play, “spent” cards 23 are collected on the side. Thenext hand of play continues and each player is dealt two cards face downand the dealer receives one card face down and another card face up.Play continues as before. The dealer continues to deal from the deck ofcards 21 in the shoe until the last card in the deck is deal, all the“spent” cards are gathered up, reshuffled, placed in the shoe and playthen continues. The process repeats at the table until players run outof chips at which point they are eliminated from the competition, or theround of play ends. At the end of the round, any players without aminimum number of chips are eliminated. Alternatively, the player(s)with the lowest amount of chips at each table are eliminated. Playersadvance to subsequent rounds, are gradually eliminated, and the roundscontinued until a winner emerges.

Players are not allowed any aids for counting cards and must rely solelyon their memory, their knowledge of their card counting system, andability to quickly apply, the system. Play is also not delayed unduly togive a player time to work out the correct play according to theirsystem.

If the tournament is to be broadcast, the table 10 features one or morevideo cameras 40. Such cameras 40 are strategically placed to captureall the play at the table, Additional cameras could be placed adjacentto the dealer's hands and the player's hands to capture the cards whichare dealt to the players for the benefit of the viewer. Alternatively,the cards dealt to the players could be determined by means of a cardidentifying mechanism incorporated into the shoe and describedsubsequently in FIGS. 4 and 5.

When the tournament is broadcast to viewers, the broadcast could beaccompanied with a display of a card counting report in order toillustrate the state of the deck of cards, the probabilities facing theplayers, the correct strategy, etc, in order to stimulate furtherinterest in the tournament. The format of the card counting report cantake any variety of forms, two of which are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. InFIG. 2, the card counting report 100 consists of a table of two columns.The left hand column 102 shows the point value of cards in the decks(Tens, Jacks, Queens and Kings are all scored 10, Aces are scored 1 or11 and are shown merely as Aces). The right hand column 104 shows adistribution of each point value remaining in the deck. For example, atsome given state of play the deck may contain four Twos, three Threes,no Sevens, etc. as shown in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 3 the card counting report 100 takes the form of a table showingcard counting scores or indexes in various card counting systems thatare currently popular. For example, the table includes a column 120which identifies the system, and a second column 122 that gives therunning count in that system. A third column 124 includes a runningcount in a side count, and a fourth column 126 that provides a stillfurther count in the system, which may incorporate or depend from thecounts in the other columns. A dashed line in FIG. 3 indicates that thecount or index is not used in the system. While only two systems areshown in FIG. 3 (K-O and High-Low), the report of FIG. 3 may include anyarbitrary number of systems.

It will be understood that the card counting reports of FIGS. 2 and 3are offered by way of example only and not limitation and other formatsfor card counting reports are of course possible. Furthermore, the cardcounting reports may be shown displayed in conjunction with the video ofplay in any convenient manner, e.g., to the side of the video of play,as a scrolling text on the bottom margin of the display, or in any otherformat.

As a further feature for the viewer, the broadcast of the tournament mayfeature the sequence of cards which remain to be dealt to the playersand the dealer, such sequence of course not being available to theplayers or the dealer. To determine such sequence, the tables at thetournament have some means for identifying the sequence of the cards inthe deck. The means for identifying the cards could be incorporated intothe shoe from which the cards are dealt. One example is shown in FIG. 4.The shoe 20 contains initially a deck of fifty two cards 21. Each card21 is provided with a bar code 50 (FIG. 5) which appears on the face ofthe card. When the cards 21 are placed in the shoe, each of the cards ispositioned one at a time adjacent to a bar code reader 52 which readsthe bar code 50 on the face of the card. Thus, the reader will read eachcard in sequence and send the sequence of cards to a computer which isused to generate card data for the broadcast of the tournament. While abar code and bar code reader are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, othermechanisms may be used, such as incorporating the bar code reader intothe table 10 (FIG. 1) and passing the cards over the reader prior toloading the cards into the shoe.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the apparatus which may be used togenerate a broadcast of a tournament in accordance with one possibleembodiment of this invention. The apparatus includes studio cameras andvoice recording equipment 200 which capture voice and video of the hostof the tournament program and experts on blackjack who providecommentary on the play. The apparatus further includes cameras 40 whichare present at the tournament tables to capture video and sound of theplay of the game and the cards dealt to the players. The apparatusfurther includes the card sequence identifying apparatus 52 which maytake the form of the bar code reader 52 shown in FIG. 4. The apparatusfurther includes a computer 204 which receives the bar code data fromthe bar code reader and converts the bar codes to card values. Thecomputer 204 is programmed to compute card counting reports as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3.

The audio/video feed from the studio cameras and voice recordingequipment 200 and the table cameras 40 are fed to a broadcast productionstudio 206 for mixing and editing to generate a broadcast signal fordistribution over an entertainment network 208. Further, the computer204 provides card count reports and card sequence data to the broadcastproduction studio 206 for mixing, editing and addition to the broadcastsignal. The resulting broadcast signal, typically in digital format, isgenerated at the studio and stored in a memory (not shown).

The broadcast signal is then distributed via the entertainment network208 to viewers. The entertaining network 208 may take the form of acable television network, Internet, or other network. The tournament canbe viewed on a television set 210 having a display 212. The display 212includes video of the tournament play captured by the cameras 40 at thetables, voice over commentary by experts captured by the studio cameraand voice recording equipment 200, and video data comprisingsuperimposed card counting reports 214 or card sequence data for cardsremaining in the deck.

The details on generation of television programming are of course knownto persons skilled in the art of television broadcasting and furtherexplanation is deemed unnecessary in order to not obfuscate the presentdisclosure.

Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be madeto the described embodiments, it is intended that all matters in theforegoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Further, it isintended to be understood that the following clauses further describeaspects of the present application.

(1) A method for conducting a blackjack tournament, comprising:

providing a pool of prize money for paying out to one or more winners ofthe tournament;

providing a set of rules for playing rounds of blackjack at thetournament wherein the rules are favorable to counting of cards by theplayers; and

conducting rounds of play of blackjack using the set of rules whereinduring the rounds of play the players make wagers and receive winningswith chips provided by the proprietor of the tournament to the players,whereby the proprietor of the tournament is not exposed to losses due tocard counting by players playing in the tournament and card counting bythe players may be encouraged.

(2) The method of clause (1), wherein the tournament is played at aplurality of tables and wherein the set of rules comprises a first ruleof playing blackjack at the tables using a single deck of 52 cards and asecond rule of dealing the cards from the deck of 52 cards down to thelast card in the deck.

(3) The method of clause (1) or (2), wherein the tournament is played ata plurality of tables and wherein the set of rules comprises a rule ofexposing all the cards of the players at each table to all the playersat the table after each hand of play.

(4) The method of clause (1), (2) or (3), wherein the tournament isplayed at a plurality of tables and wherein the set of rules comprises arule of exposing the cards of players who bust during play to all theplayers at each table.

(5) The method of clause (1), (2), (3) or (4), wherein the methodfurther comprises the step of:

broadcasting the play of the tournament over an entertainment network;

identifying the sequence of cards yet to be dealt to players and thedealer during play and including the sequence in the broadcasting of theplay; and

providing a card counting report in the broadcast of the play.

(6) The method of clause (5), further comprising the step of includingin the broadcasting of play commentary by one or more experts in thegame of blackjack.

(7) The method of clause (5) or (6), wherein the entertainment networkcomprises a television network.

(8) The method of clause (5), (6) or (7), wherein the entertainmentnetwork comprises the Internet.

(9) A method for conducting a blackjack tournament, the tournamentcomprising play occurring at one or more blackjack tables where playersin the tournament play against a dealer, the method comprising the stepsof:

forming a pool of prize money for paying out to one or more winners ofthe tournament at least in part from entrance fees paid by one or moreplayers playing in the tournament, sponsors of the tournament, or othersources;

providing a set of rules for playing rounds of blackjack at thetournament wherein the rules comprises a first rule of playing blackjackat each of the tables used in the tournament using a single deck of 52cards and a second rule of dealing the cards from the deck down to thelast card in the deck; and

conducting rounds of play of blackjack at the tables using the set ofrules wherein during the rounds of play the players make wagers andreceive winnings with chips provided by the proprietor of the tournamentto the players, whereby the proprietor of the tournament is not exposedto losses due to card counting by players playing in the tournament andcard counting by the players may be encouraged.

(10) The method of clause (9), wherein the set of rules comprises afurther rule allowing a player in the tournament to purchase a currentcard counting report with chips currently held by the player.

(11) The method of clause (9) or (10), wherein the set of rules comprisea further rule of exposing the cards of players who bust during play.

(12) The method of clause (9), (10) or (11), wherein the method furthercomprises the step of:

broadcasting the play of the tournament over an entertainment network;

identifying the sequence of cards yet to be dealt to players and thedealer during play and including the sequence in the broadcasting of theplay such that it may be viewed by a view of the broadcasting; and

providing a card counting report in the broadcast of the play.

(13) The method of clause (12), further comprising the step of includingin the broadcasting of play commentary by one or more experts in thegame of blackjack.

(14) The method of clause (12) or (13), wherein the entertainmentnetwork comprises a television network.

(15) Blackjack tournament apparatus comprising, in combination:

a facility hosting a tournament of blackjack, the facility including oneor more tables where blackjack may be played;

one or more video cameras for capturing play at at least one of the oneor more tables for broadcast to an audience remote from the facility;

wherein the tournament is characterized in that a pool of prize money isformed for paying out to one or more winners of the tournament;

a set of rules is provided for play at the tournament for playing roundsof blackjack at the tournament wherein the rules include one or morerules favorable to counting of cards in a systematic method for playingblackjack; and

rounds of play of blackjack are conducted at the tables using the set ofrules wherein during the rounds of play the players make wagers andreceive winnings with chips provided by the proprietor of the tournamentto the players, whereby the proprietor of the tournament is not exposedto losses due to card counting by players playing in the tournament andcard counting by the players may be encouraged.

(16) The apparatus of clause (15), wherein the broadcast includes anidentification of the sequence of one or more cards remaining in a deckof cards used at one of the tables; and a card counting report.

(17) The apparatus of clause (15) or (16), wherein the broadcastincludes commentary by one or more experts in the game of blackjack.

(18) The apparatus of clause (15), (16) or (17), wherein the set ofrules include a first rule of playing blackjack at each of the tablesused in the tournament using a single deck of 52 cards and a second ruleof dealing the cards from the deck down to the last card in the deck

(19) The apparatus of clause (15), (16), (17) or (18), wherein theapparatus further comprises card sequence identifying apparatus fordetermining the sequence of cards to be dealt by a dealer to players atone of the tables.

(20) The apparatus of clause (19), wherein the card sequence identifyingapparatus comprises a machine readable code applied to the cards to bedealt by a dealer and a reader for the code.

(21) Television broadcast apparatus comprising:

a machine readable memory storing broadcast data for transmission overan entertainment network, the broadcast data comprising datarepresenting video of play at a blackjack tournament, a card countingreport reflecting the state of a deck of cards used in the tournament,and commentary by experts.

(22) The television broadcast apparatus of clause (21), wherein thebroadcast data further comprises a sequence of one or more cardsremaining in a deck of cards used at the tournament.

While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussedabove, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications,permutations, additions and sub-combinations thereof are present in thisdisclosure. It is therefore intended that the following appended claimsand claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all suchmodifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations as arewithin their true spirit and scope.

1. Blackjack tournament apparatus comprising, in combination: a facilityhosting a tournament of blackjack, the facility including one or moretables where blackjack may be played; one or more video cameras forcapturing play at at least one of the one or more tables for broadcastto an audience remote from the facility; wherein the tournament ischaracterized in that a pool of prize money is formed for paying out toone or more winners of the tournament; a set of rules is provided forplay at the tournament for playing rounds of blackjack at the tournamentwherein the set of rules include one or more rules favorable to countingof cards in a systematic method for playing blackjack; and rounds ofplay of blackjack are conducted at the tables using the set of ruleswherein during the rounds of play the players make wagers and receivewinnings with chips provided by the proprietor of the tournament to theplayers.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the broadcast includes anidentification of the sequence of one or more cards remaining in a deckof cards used at one of the tables; and a current card counting report.3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the broadcast includes commentaryby one or more experts in the game of blackjack.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the set of rules include a first rule of playingblackjack at each of the tables used in the tournament using a singledeck of cards and a second rule of dealing the cards from the deck downto the last card in the deck.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theapparatus further comprises a card sequence identifying apparatus fordetermining the sequence of cards to be dealt by a dealer to players atone of the tables.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the cardsequence identifying apparatus comprises a machine readable code appliedto the cards to be dealt by a dealer and a reader for the code.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a machine readable memorystoring broadcast data for transmission over an entertainment network,the broadcast data comprising data representing video of play at ablackjack tournament obtained from the one or more video cameras, acurrent card counting report for play at one or more of the tables andcommentary by one or more experts in the game of blackjack.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the broadcast data further comprises asequence of one or more cards remaining in a deck of cards used at thetournament.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tournament isfurther characterized by a rule of play in which cards of players thatbust are revealed to all the other players at a table, and a rule inwhich the players have the option to purchase a current card countingreport during play using their chips.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9,wherein the card counting report is in the form of an index or scoreresulting from a systematic method of counting cards exposed to theplayers during a round of play of blackjack.